Cooperative Study of Reading 



29 



to ten specific questions in regard to the content of the selec- 

 tion. 



The average rate at which a class read was determined by 

 finding the average number of seconds required by the class 

 to read one hundred words. This result was then expressed 

 in terms of the number of words read per second. The aver- 

 age rates of reading for each of fifteen cities are presented in 

 Table IV. The average rates for Indiana appear at the foot of 

 the table. The cities vary widely in rate of silent reading. For 

 illustration, in the third grade the pupils of City 6 read at 

 the rate of 1.33 words per second, and the pupils of City 8 

 read at the rate of 3.91 words per second. Granted that the 

 pupils of City 8 comprehend what is read as well as do the 

 pupils of City 6, it is evident that the pupils of City 8 are 

 capable of advancing three times as rapidly during periods 

 of silent study as are pupils of City 6. This is an advantage 

 which every class should strive to gain. 



Diagram 5 represents the average silent reading rates for 

 Indiana, Grand Rapids, St. Louis, Northern Illinois, and 

 Thirteen Cities. A word of explanation is necessary in order 

 that the diagram may be readily understood. Since three 

 selections were used in the test, two readjustments have been 

 necessary in the diagram. The points of these readjustments 

 are between the third and fourth grades and between the 

 sixth and seventh grades. In Diagram 5 dotted vertical lines 

 are drawn at each of these points. The numbers at the left 

 of the diagram indicate the numbers of words read per second 

 in the easy selection. The numbers on the line between the 

 third and fourth grades indicate the equivalent rates when the 

 second selection was read. The numbers on the line between 

 the sixth and seventh grades indicate the equivalent rates 

 when the most difficult selection was read. 



Diagram 5 shows that the average silent reading rates for 

 Indiana are below those for Thirteen Cities and for Grand 

 Rapids, particularly in the intermediate grades. The rates for 

 St. Louis are distinctly superior thruout the grades and the 

 rates for Northern Illinois are noticeably low in the primary 

 and intermediate grades but reach a high level in the upper 

 grades. It is evident that the cities of Indiana make a good 

 start in rate of silent reading in the second grade but that they 

 fail to progress as rapidly during the intermediate grades as 



